Security minister’s Private Pike jibe

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After a weekend of Tory in-fighting, blue on blue briefing wars and confusion over the government’s Brexit position, it’s safe to say that tensions are running high in the Conservative party. One minister who is particularly rattled by the contents of the Sunday papers is Ben Wallace,

The Mail on Sunday reported that the Security Minister – and close ally of Boris Johnson – is on the verge of resigning in order to trigger a leadership contest against May. Only this seems to be news to Wallace. The Conservative MP has taken to social media to note that ‘there is something very Dad’s Army about the Mail on Sunday story that I’m resigning’ – adding that he ‘shall put the paper in the fireplace where it belongs’:

There is something very Dad’s Army about the Mail on Sunday story that I’m resigning. I shall put the paper in the fireplace where it belongs.

And who could Wallace be taking aim at? Well, it’s not gone unnoticed in Conservative circles that it appears to be a thinly-veiled dig at the Defence Secretary, Boris Johnson’s leadership rival. Gavin Williamson – who was given a lecture recently by John Bercow on the perils of press briefings – has the unfortunate Dad’s Army nickname Private Pike among his critics in the party thanks to his lack of military experience. What’s more, Williamson’s time as a fireplace salesman recently made the news thanks to a kiss and tell with a colleague.